SlapDash

I went home to Wyoming for Christmas, (yes I still call Wyoming home) and while I was in the Gillette Wal-Mart I ran into one of my girls from camp this year, Larrissa. (she's the one on my lap in the photo) She was sooo excited to see me and I got a big hug from her then her and her mom asked if I would mind having her in my cabin again this year at camp. My heart broke for a split second as I got the nerve to tell them I wasn't going to camp, but going to China instead. I know that China is an opportunity that will never come again and something I need to do, but my girls are sooo important and to give up those precious girls who have made just as much of an impact in my life as I have theirs is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. In a few years these girls won't be interested in camp anymore, it'll become a memory of the past and I feel like I have not invested as much into their lives as I should have, am I really willing to lose that for a summer??

Labels: about me, random thoughts

I used to always say that I wanted to marry a guy just like my dad when I grew up. To me there wasn't a great soul on this earth besides my father's and I wanted to find someone exactly like dad to marry. Then when I spent 2 weekends with my dad while mom was out to Arizona I realized that there were some qualities in my dad that I could not live with. (like how he can go hours without saying anything, or his housekeeping capabilities (or lack thereof)) But today when the doorbell rang while I was making dinner I realized how wonderful my dad really is. There was a man at the door holding a 20 lb ham for our family because of my dad. Later I asked my mom what dad did to deserve a 20 lb ham. She told me that earlier this year that man's wife suddenly passed away and dad, though this man was a member of another church in Redfield, took it upon himself to go visit him and after that this man came to him for counseling and my dad continued just to befriend him and spend time with him. This man was soo touched that he's been singing my dad's praises through our little 200 person town. Apparently a guy on the fire department that my dad volenteers on said that this particular man is very hard to please and always wants more than what's even required and for him to be sooo pleased with my dad means something. And all the sudden I was overwhelmed with a sense a pride because that's my dad. And though I may not want to marry a guy EXACTLY like my dad, I do want to marry someone with similar qualities like caring and being concerned for people unconditionally, even if they don't deserve it and even though you'll get nothing in return... that's a mark of a great man!

Labels: people, personal

Today my dad and I went to the nursing home like we do every Tuesday to do a bible study. I usually go along, play the piano for them and then sit back in a corner and observe while my dad does his bible-study. Then we go to the Alzihemer's ward and we sing hymns and dad reads scripture for a half and hour. Today it was an odd day for me because as I was sitting back and observing I was observing something that made me incredibly envious. In the 1st service I was watching old Mr and Mrs. Harms sitting together and making "googly eyes" at each other and later on she told us that they were excited about being together for Christmas this year because she was supposed to be taken to another assisted living place by order of her Doctor, but plans got changed and now she can be in the nursing home with her husband over Christmas... How touching. In the 2nd service we deal with people who have basically lost it and have no clue where they are or who they are but there was this old man and old lady who were reverting back to their teen years and were "dating at the show" during our bible-sing-a-long time. They thought they were on a date together and though it was really disturbing in a way because neither of them knew what was going on, it was soo cute an innocent it was as if they were teenage sweethearts... Ahhhhh! I never used to be so wrapped up in this romantic gibberish that makes a person weak in the knees but now all the sudden I find myself wishing that I could have someone, not just anyone either. I think I might have made a mistake...

Labels: personal, random thoughts, rants

Well finals are finally over, I am home for Christmas break, and it is nice. I never realized how much fun I have when I am home. My family is sooo cool. Today my dad said something to me that made me realize how much my parents enjoy me. (I always figured I had to be a pain in their butt, they never gave me that impression, but hehe, if I were them I couldn't wait to get me out of the house.) he said "We have no fun when you're not around" Which, in my dad's broken grammar means that they miss me. They wouldn't do their Christmas shopping until I came home and helped them. I love it. It's kind of a weird tradition but about the week before Christmas we all go to Wal-Mart, I go with mom while we send dad off to nowhere'sville while we buy his present then dad and I do the same with mom later... then they both try to get rid of me to do the same for me... but they haven't stumped me with my gifts yet...hehehe. I also came to realize today that while mom was out buying Dad and I's Christmas present we got the duty of grocery shopping... Dad and I should not be allowed to shop together, it's a terrible thign because we kinda forget what we are there for and buy lots of good... ahem...junk. hehe I love it! If you get the chances to spend time with your family and do odd little things like shop together and stuff, take advantage of it, enjoying the family God's given you is a joy you'll never understand until you let yourself.

Labels: personal

Here's a little "CHRISTMASY INFO" about me :)

You're Name: Nikki Bowers
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate.....Egg Nog is disgusting
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He wraps them
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Don't have the need to yet...
5. When do you put your decorations up? In my apartment this year I put them up a week BEFORE thanksgiving.. at home we do it after thanksgiving
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Mashed Potates or mom's Overnight Salad
7. Favorite Holiday memory: This one time I asked for a TV/VCR for Christmas or a car stereo (really wanted the TV/VCR though) and my parents got the present at Alco where I worked, I had questioned everyone I worked with if they sold my parents my Christmas present and no one would share with me except one guy, "Bo" He told me that I got the TV for Christmas. Bo felt terrible for telling me so he confessed to my parents and then my parents decided to pull the bigest "prank" on me ever. They had me believing that they took back the TV/VCR and had my grandma come up and talk to me "secretly" to let me know that my parents took the TV back and got me the car stereo instead and she wanted me to put on the happiest face in the world so that I wouldn't show a dissapointed face. Later I mentioned that conversation to my mom and my mom acted really upset because grandma had spoiled my Christmas... (even though she sent her to tell me) later that night we opened presents and I got my box (in the shape of a car stereo) and opened it. It was a box of rocks (which in reality was what I deserved) with a note in it that said "Your present is upstairs in your room" my parents snuck the TV upstairs and had me totally suprised. It was great!; Another great memory was the time I cried when my my mom guessed her Christmas present I bought her... Those silly Fuzzy Slippers :)
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was a pretty smart kid, I was 3
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? yes, we always open at least one gift sometimes all.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With garland, and lights and ornaments...
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it as long as it's warmer outside... when then temp drops below thirty I kinda grow a bitterness to snow.
12.Can you ice skate? Yes... Well... I have the ability to ice skate, but phyiscally I am incapable because my knee is need of surgery and I can't without fear of doing worse damage. (I put that last bit in for my mom, cuz we all know I'm stubborn and would probably go anyway ;)
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Haha, well the barbie mini-van from years ago ranks up there... and the TV and Gameboy that I begged for for year... my coffee pot :D and my purple sweater.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with my family
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Cheese Cake, Frog-eye salad, or pecan pie
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Meat and Cheese tray, Veggie tray for mom and I on Christmas eve (while dad stinks up the house with oyster stew) then we read from Luke 2 and open presents. Then it used to be a tradition that we watched home alone 2, but we quit that a few years ago....sad
17. What tops your tree? Either an Angel that lights up or this crinkly paper angel that's really cute
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving... I'm a Christmas shop-a-holic. I've already got most of my Christmas shopping done, and I was sooo anxious to give my presents I had to make myself leave my parents presents here at school when I went home for Thanksgiving because I wanted to give them to them now! Hehe, I have a hard time fighting the urges... actully I wasn't able to fight one of my urges... Lisa already got her present. I'm such a kid!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? From a Sacred standpoint: "O Come, O Come Emanuel" From a secular stand point: Sleigh Ride
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Candy Canes should be all year round... there's nothing better than reading a good book and sucking on candy canes.

Labels: about me, random thoughts

by Steve Logan

	Why Wyoming? Indeed you might ask. Why would you live where the temperature can change 40 degrees in 2 hours? Where the next town is 100 miles away? Where the wind might blow occasionally? Where it snows horizontally a couple of times a year? Well, here are some things to try and then ask me again.
Take a ride over the Snowy Range on a fall day, then continue past Encampment, through Savory, and on into Baggs. Sit in a teepee near Moose on a clear summer morning, while having breakfast as the sun rises and first hits the Tetons.
	Take a motorcycle ride through the Sunlight Basin, then watch as Old Faithful blows its top. Sit at the base of Devil’s Tower and wonder at the myths and legends that it has inspired.
Paddle a canoe to the Upper Green River Lake and contemplate the reflection of Square Top in the pristine waters. On a cold clear winter evening, watch the setting sun turn the snow on the Wind River Mountains a rosy pink.
	Walk though an aspen grove on a fall day as the leaves start to blanket the ground, and have a 6 or 7 point bull elk bugle about 100 yards in front of you. Fly fish on the North Platte, the upper Green River, or the mighty Snake. Tie into a 35 pound lake trout on Flaming Gorge Lake.
Watch the sunset over Firehole basin and wonder at the colors that cannot be captured by film or on canvas. Listen to the drumming of a sage grouse as it struts on a sage scented spring morning.
	Enjoy the view from atop Aspen Mountain, where on a clear day you can see the Uinta Mountains 80 miles to the south, the Wind River Mountains 100 miles to the north, the Wyoming range 90 miles west, and the Medicine Bows 100 miles east.
Attend the rodeo in Cheyenne, then watch as Willie Nelson sings “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” IN THE RAIN. Sit in the stands in Laramie on a crisp Autumn day as a last minute field goal wins the game.
	Stalk a 26” mule deer though the junipers. Observe as a wild colt first suckles on the Red Desert. Drive a herd of cattle down from the high meadows, or wonder at the endless panorama of the grasslands
Spend a night sleeping out in the pines with only the stars as a blanket. Swear that you can reach up and stir the Milky Way with your hand. Walk around Jenny Lake with a stop at Hidden Falls. Ride an inner tube through the Wind River Canyon.
	Have a milk shake in Shoshone or an ice cream cone in Farson. Feed the fish in Sinks Canyon, where the Popo Agie rises. Go climb a rock at Vedaawoo or spend a day at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody. (PS. A day might not be enough)
Visit South Pass City for a look at our past or check out the ruts on the Oregon Trail and wonder about the multitudes that traveled that way. Solve the mystery of the Medicine Wheel in the Big Horns. Interpret the writings of the ancient peoples at any of the many sites.
	Watch a moose feed on the willows near a beaver dam or a herd of pronghorns race over the wide open spaces. See the eagle spread its wings and soar, framed by snow capped mountains far in the distance.
Take the tram at Jackson Hole to the top, then ski to the bottom non-stop. Ride a four wheeler through the Killpecker Sand Dunes. Spend a day in the south country and never see another person. Have a complete stranger stop and help you change a flat tire.
	Have an “Old Timer” tell you how it was even better when he was a kid. Share most of these things with your kids or grandkids. After you have done some of these things, if I still have to explain, YOU WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND.

Labels: e-mails, inspirational

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE.Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk..
FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN.When you lose, don't lose the lesson
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

You come to a point in your life when you wonder if what you are doing is really what you want to do. You sit back and ponder all the decisions you've made thus far and ask yourself "is this honestly the best desicion for my life?" I wonder that often, but Tuesday in my Chemistry and Physics teaching class Dr. Corrick (A teacher for 48 years) got up infront of the entire class and poured out his heart to us. It realyl changed my outlook on teaching. I often wonder in the midst of these projects, papers, and frustrations if teaching is really what I want to do for the rest of my life. I wonder if I really have the guts to stand up infront of a class of children and mold their lives with the words I say, I wonder if I have the knowledge to answer their tough classes, I wonder if I have the patience to handle all the little quirks that comes with little kids that are not my own, I wonder if I will really enjoy teaching... but that's not what teaching is... teaching isn't centered on "I" teaching is centered on them! What about the children, what about the chance to have an impact on the world? This thought was confirmed once again on Wednesday night as one of my girls in my bible class came up to me beaming with excitment that she had almost finished the devotions book I bought her a couple of months ago and wanted me to look at it and read all the answers she wrote in it and wanted another one. Then the preceded to tell me that she wanted to stay in my class forever. This little girl was once very hard and snotty, and I thought to be someone who would just end up slipping through the cracks, but I made an impact... THAT is what teaching is all about.

Labels: personal, random thoughts, teaching